Coach from Alaska joins youth summit

Friday

A four-hour time zone change couldn’t stop Duncan Shackleford from getting to Canton this week.

“It’s huge,” Shackleford said of the flight from Alaska to Ohio. “But I wanted people to know we’re throwing footballs instead of snowballs.”

The head football coach at Chugiak High School, Shackleford was among the 100 high school coaches and youth football organizers who attended the two-day NFL Youth Football Summit at Kent State University Stark campus.

“The key here for me is to gather information about the way to reach and inform today’s youth,” he said of the seminars supported by the NFL and NFL Players Association. “Kids have so many things pulling at them today, and not all of it is positive. We as coaches, if we can affect them in some positive (way), then we have to do it. To me, that’s the most important thing.”

A prep coach of 24 years and winner two state titles at Anchorage Diamond High School, Shackleford knew he was in a special region of the country for football.

“Oh, my gosh. That’s the thing legends are made of,” Shackleford said. “Massillon, Paul Brown Stadium, Canton McKinley. You’ve got to put Ohio football in the top five in the nation.”

Shackleford said it was tough to break away from his team, especially with the season looming. Practice games are upcoming, and the team plays just eight regular season games.

“If you make the state finals, you get to play 11 games,” he said. “But Alaska football has come a long way. We’ve gone from the Dark Ages to the Ice Age.”

Shackleford said he knew of “eight or nine” Alaskans who made the NFL. Chris Cooper, would could start at right guard for the Denver Broncos this year, played for Shackleford at Diamond.

Like the rest of the coaches in attendance, Shackleford was nominated by his peers to represent his region.

“It’s a real honor to represent your school and your state,” Shackleford said.